Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
Why your wandering mind is exactly what meditation is for
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people who try meditation for the first time expect their mind to go quiet. Instead, it does the opposite: replaying conversations, drafting grocery lists, or wondering whether the oven is still on. This is not failure. According to Kirat Randhawa, a Read More...
What to actually eat after a workout, according to sports dietitians
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Anyone who has ever gone hard at the gym on a Monday and then struggled to get off the couch on Wednesday knows exactly what delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is. You do not need a clinical definition. DOMS is the stiffness, the tenderness, and the Read More...
The science of why you keep falling for the same type of person
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people have a type. Ask them to describe it and they will, with varying degrees of self-awareness: the brooding creative, the high-achiever who is always a little hard to reach, the warm one who still somehow needs to be talked into their own worth. The Read More...
Light, scent, and sound: the free home refresh you haven't tried yet
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM You've arranged the furniture. You've put up the art. The room looks fine. But it still feels a little off, heavy or flat, like you can't quite settle into it. The fix might not be another trip to the store. "Most people spend all their time on furniture Read More...
The low-effort way to build real connection: finding your third place
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Most people have two main places: home and work. The idea that you need a third sounds obvious the moment you hear it, which is maybe why sociologist Ray Oldenburg felt the need to write a whole book about it in 1989. That book, The Great Good Place, named Read More...
Smartphone test detects water contamination in under a minute
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM After a flood, a pipe break, or a contamination event, one of the most pressing questions is also one of the hardest to answer fast: is the water safe? Standard microbiological testing takes hours, sometimes a full day. In that gap, people make decisions Read More...
Your workout routine might be your best hair care product
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Americans spend a lot on hair. Serums, supplements, special shampoos, salon treatments: the list of things promising better hair is long and expensive. But five dermatologists say there is something most people are skipping entirely, and it costs nothing at Read More...
3 top tips for overcoming the stifling pressure to "get in shape" for summer
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM As summertime approaches, so does the widespread pressure to get the elusive "summer body." For many, this is a season of intense scrutiny as diet culture intensifies its messaging, pushing people to be in shape and lose weight in order to enjoy poolside Read More...
How a three-pill treatment could eliminate a centuries-old disease
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For decades, the treatment for sleeping sickness was nearly as dangerous as the illness itself. One widely used intravenous drug caused a burning sensation in the veins and killed roughly one in 20 patients who received it. The oral replacement that followed Read More...
Men, loneliness, and the friendship gap nobody talks about
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In all honesty, the numbers do not fully support the panic that seems to be spreading over the "male loneliness epidemic". When researchers look at loneliness rates across the lifespan, men and women report similar levels of isolation. A 2019 meta-analysis of Read More...